


Let Me Take Care of You

by terrae



Category: X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies), X-Men (Movieverse)
Genre: Charles is a toy poodle, Charles is smitten, Erik has no idea what he's doing, Getting hit with a fever, Late Nights, M/M, Sick!Charles, bubble baths, charles is so motherly, erik is so stubborn it hurts, inspired by me sick af, raven is worried, sick, sick!Erik
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-04
Updated: 2016-09-04
Packaged: 2018-08-13 02:19:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7958536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/terrae/pseuds/terrae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Erik and Charles take turns taking care of the other when they're sick.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Let Me Take Care of You

 

**_SICK ERIK_ **

 

  
Erik awoke to the feeling of Charles's hand feeling his forehead and his neck. He didn't think it was morning yet, for his biological clock hadn't alarmed him yet. Cracking an eye up, he saw Charles was propped up, worry glistening his face.

"You're awake, good. How do you feel?"

What? What was Charles doing, at what felt like three in the morning, feeling up Erik? At Erik's disorientation, Charles helped him up. Erik felt his head heavier suddenly, his throat an unpleasant queasy and something shot up in his head before Charles confirmed it.

"You couldn't stop coughing in your sleep. Woke me up and I'm supposed to be the heavy sleeper. It's okay, you shouldn't be talking, I'll go make you a nice and hot bowl of soup."

"I'm not sick." Charles had started to get up but Erik grabbed his hand, pulled him back to bed. "I don't feel sick, go to sleep." Unfortunately though, thought Erik grimly, Charles wasn't having any of it.

"You are and I'm not waiting until you're dying."

"You're being dramatic."

"Oh, dear, that's you."

Erik groaned in a response and regretted so immediately, feeling as if someone was cutting through his trachea from the inside out. He breathed through his nose angrily, and pulled the covers over his head as he felt Charles shuffle off the bed. Charles was fully awake, which only made Erik realize that he'd been up for some time now or else he wouldn't be so articulate. Whatever, Charles could mother hen him all he wanted, that didn't mean Erik would give in to being sick. It was just a petty cold, nothing aspirin wouldn't fix. He'd be up and we'll and ready to go to —

He felt warm, so warm that he barely had any time to push the covers off him when the next coughing fit arrived, racking his body along and burned his lungs. Ten minutes passed, and Charles turned from the soup he was making to the sight of Erik wrapped in the blanket, tired and adorable in the entrance of the kitchen.

Erik looked too grumpy, mad at Mother Nature for getting him sick while Charles handed him a tissue box for his trouble. Thank the heavens up, Erik accepted therm silently and aimlessly wondered around the kitchen before he settled on a bottle of water from the fridge. He was about to drink when the bottle was abruptly ripped out of his hands.

"It's ice water, Erik. Drink it now and you'll be begging to have your throat cut off." said Charles, pouring his soup (which smelled heavenly) into a bowl and brought slices of buttered bread, setting them on a tray. It also appeared that Charles had taken the time to make a hot lemonade.

Erik had gone and settle on the couch, feeling their room was completely off the list for places with a decent temperature. He was in the process of wiping his nose and trying to manipulate his headache to settle the fuck down when the couch dipped under Charles's weight and the smaller man was placing the tray in front of them. He also had a thermometer in his hand.

Erik gritted his teeth, "Get that thing away from me, Charles."

"I'm just going to take your temperature, Erik. Calm down." Charles said as he leaned over and despite Erik's unwavering glare, slipped the thermometer under his tongue. Erik waited in silence, while Charles broke off into a special edition of a lecture, blabbering about what Erik didn't want to be listening to.

Erik tuned in just as Charles was saying, "...so it only must mean you got it from Emma. That woman seems to have zero immunity against /anything/. I don't know how you would've gone it from her though, did you drink from her water bottle? Must be something in the air. God, why can't people wear masks when they've got the flu—"

"Hnnngg."

"What?" Charles looked at Erik (finally!) and seemed oblivious for a second before Erik huffed, looking at Charles with pleading eyes.

"Oh." Charles fought the blush, noticing Erik was drooling from having the thermometer in his mouth for far too long. He got it out, gave it a read, and hummed. "One degree above average. You're definitely not going to work tomorrow."

Just as Erik began to protest, Charles was transferring the tray to his lap, and he was kinda thankful, not sure he could talk again without his throat starting a revolution. As if on cue, he coughed again, burying his mouth in the inside of his elbow.

"Poor thing," Charles's face softened and he crawled closer until their sides were touching. He cut the bread into little pieces and fed Erik, who in turn didn't say anything as he chewed. Then came the soup, which at it Erik took the spoon and fed himself.

"I'll get you sick like this, go back to sleep." He shot his boyfriend of a year a glare.

"I'll live," was all that Charles said regarding the matter. A companionable silence followed then Charles reached for the remote, turning on the tv with the press of a button then Erik watched as Charles's face brighten.

"Ah, Parks and Recreation. Just what we needed," Erik snorted, receiving an eye roll from Charles who said, "Shut up, I've been meaning to catch up on that." Charles went and somehow slid inside the blanket, sticking to Erik's side without tipping the tray over. Erik continued to slurp his soup with a fond smile.

They spent a lot of time in that position, Charles wholeheartedly laughing every five minutes, maybe even less. He genuinely thought everyone was funny and Erik could almost imagine his face. Flushed red with wrinkles around his eyes, who were in turn very blue and vibrant as they twinkled with each laugh. God, he was growing more beautiful as days passed and Erik made sure to remind him every chance he got. On an another thought, Erik snorted at all the scenes with April, even smiled once and it wasn't hard to tell then that she would be his favorite character. An episode dragged another episode, and a part where a scowling Ron Swanson was talking to the camera came when Charles gasped, so softly that Erik thought he accidentally poured the soup on him.

"How could I haven't realized before? You're going to grow up to be a Ron Swanson." Then a second passed and Charles was wheezing again, laughing at his own revelation. Erik's scowl was possibly deeper than Ron's and it only confirmed..

Only that Erik hummed, "That makes you Leslie."

Charles quietened down, and Erik thought he screwed up. The character Leslie was impulsive, a huge dork and always frantic a bit naive. He expected Charles to be hurt, to stay silent during the rest of the night. He was about to retract his statement though, when Charles burst into laughter, clutching his own chest.

"Oh god, Erik. That might be true."

Huh, then Erik reflected; Leslie was very sweet and very hardworking, kind and frantic when it came to her work. She was liked by almost everyone. Even Ron Swanson.

"Also I'm sorry I said you'd grow up into a Ron, you're more beautiful." Charles breathed out once he'd stopped laughing. How much Erik wanted to kiss him.. but that was out of the question right now. "How do you feel?" Charles asked at last, craning his neck backward to look at him.

"Better, thanks to Parks and Rec. And your soup," he nodded, kissing Charles's hair which the other appreciated, snuggling back in his position.

Charles made sure to take his temperature every 15 minutes, ushering him to drink the soup to the last drop. It was almost impossible to distract Charles, who seemed to have decided getting Erik back to health was his mission.  
It wasn't long before Erik fell asleep, his head idly lolled back on the couch and his mouth open just a little. Normally, Charles would close it, but he figured Erik would be breathing through his mouth better in his case so he did nothing about it. Charles got up and took the tray from Erik's lap, placing it on the table in front of him. He turned off the tv, after the seventh? episode and yawned before covering them both with the blanket and drifted off to the sound of Erik's steady breaths.

 

**********

 

**SICK CHARLES**

   
At one o'clock in the afternoon, Erik's head snapped to the frantic knock on his door. He was used to Charles's knocking, and it definitely wasn't him, and they didn't have any visitors so it only really must be --

"Raven," Erik said unimpressed as the blonde appeared in view, looking a mixture between annoyed, worried and pissed. But Erik wasn't looking at her, too busy looking at Charles, who looked like he was about to pass out.

As if she'd read his thoughts, Raven grabbed Charles's shoulders and handed him to Erik inside their apartment, huffing. She was mad, yes, but at.. Erik? God, she was always unreadable. "Please don't ever let him wander around sick again." Despite the annoyance in her voice, her eyes had never left Charles, who hadn't said a word, pushing past Erik so gracelessly that Erik had to put an arm around his waist.

"I didn't know," Erik said, defending himself and earned himself another exasperated glare. "Is it bad?"

"Just keep him hydrated and /don't/ let him out of your sight." Raven turned on her heel and took off, leaving Erik with a kicked Toy Poodle.

  
Speaking of, Erik turned to Charles, who hadn't moved since Raven was here. "Charles—"

"Erik. I'm fine, it's fine. I'm feeling a little warm but I'll sleep it off. You don't need to worry." By now, Charles had stepped back, looking like his normal self. Erik trusted him, knew that if anyone exactly how to assess himself, it was Charles Xavier. So Erik didn't worry.

He let Charles relax in their bedroom while he turned and continued cooking lunch. It took him another hour and after he finished, Charles was still asleep. He went to type an email or two, checked his work schedule for tomorrow and even solved the riddles today's newspaper held. Charles still hadn't moved an inch.

It was a little after three hours that Erik called Raven.

"He's not waking up. I've tried everything: I shook him, I spilled water on his face, I even tickled. Nothing."

"Is he breathing?"

"Did you think I would calling /you/ if he wasn't?" He could almost feel Raven's eye roll over the phone. Despite her act of cockiness, her voice was laced with sisterly love. But something told him it wasn't the first time this happens, because the next thing she said was incredibly specific.

"Here's what you'll do: fill the bathtub with water, then drop every chunk of ice that apartment of yours contains, then submerge him. Oh, and whatever he does, however sweet he sounds, don't let him out until he's cooled down." She sounded so confident, so experienced and Erik frowned but thanked her and got off the phone. He racked the kitchen but found zero ice, nothing frozen enough so it could create a cold sense of water. He considered freezing water bottles but that would take forever. So he got dressed quickly and exited their apartment, going to retrieve two bags full of ice for Charles.

When he got back, Charles was still in his place, looking paler. God, he hoped this method of Raven's would work. If it didn't, then Erik's was calling a doctor immediately. He filled the tub with water then dumped the two bags, taking the time the ice melted to return to their room. He took off Charles's clothes, gasping at how warm he was. Charles's skin was practically burning and Erik's heart was in his throat. He never had to deal with something like this before, so not only was this all new, it was terrifying as well.

He carried Charles back to the bathroom then took a deep breath and lowered him into the water, dumping him when he was sure Charles wouldn't hurt his back. The splash that got out of the tub was followed by Charles gasping, grabbing onto the sides of the tub like his life depended on it. Maybe it did. He was panting, his face possibly more flushed than it ever was, harsh breaths coming out of his mouth. Erik was kneeling down, his face soft but not completely relaxed. At least now Charles was /awake/.

"You scared the living shit out of me," said Erik, with no trace of anger or annoyance in his voice.

Charles whined, his shock turning into uncontrollable shivering as he wrapped his arms around his body, his eyes squeezed shut at the bitter coldness of the water. "Er-Er-Erik, I need t-to get o-out immediately."

"Uh uh, absolutely not. Not until your temperature's gone. Do you know how pissed Raven was? And," Erik laughed in shock. "You didn't tell me, you sly actor."

"Please."

"No."

Charles flailed aimlessly, his lips stuttering badly. He shook so violently Erik almost pulled him out. He wanted to, achingly so, just wanted to get Charles out, wrap him in their biggest, thickest blanket and kiss his head repeatedly while he rubbed his cold hands. But Raven knew more than he did, and he willed himself through it.

"Here, move a bit so you don't feel it." Erik offered, but Charles didn't hear him, too busy with his shattering teeth and looking at the numerous pieces of ice.

"Charles."

"Go a-away." Ah, so he did hear him. Erik slipped his hand in and ran his hand against Charles's back. The water was in fact, cold as fuck but Erik didn't mind. Then again.. He only had his hand in, not his entire naked body. Charles didn't flinch at the touch and Erik was relieved but only for a second because the next thing he knew, Charles was splashing him with water. Erik yelped, retreating back and hissed when a trickle of water went down his back.

"Doesn't feel too good, does it."

"You're a child."

"Fuck off."

Erik huffed but didn't actually pull off, knowing that as soon as he turned his back, Charles would abandon his 'shower' and go crawling back to their room. He was lost in thought when he heard Charles's voice once again.

"Please, please, please, Erik, let me get out." He pressed.

"Not until your temperature is down, and see? You're not stuttering anymore, already getting used to it."

"Did they feel like that when the Titanic sank?"

"I'm sure they felt worse." That seemed to shut Charles up at last. He was the most beautiful thing Erik had ever seen, hair sticking in so many directions, his lips wine red from the temperature and his body so pale and freckle peppered. Face softening again, Erik went back and sat down next to the tub. Charles still captivated by the water. He seemed calmer, the water no doubt getting warmer, but that didn't mean it was still uncomfortable.

"I thought you didn't get sick, Charles. Didn't you always say that?"

"I did, didn't I? And I suppose this is the universe's big gift for me?" He muttered, sighing, moving his arm around a little. It didn't kill him, as it turned out – but seemed to be helping. He looked up to see Erik reaching for something behind him and turned to see the shower gel. 'The one that creates bubbles' and his stomach fluttered in find embarrassment. "Because I'm a child?"

Erik let out a laugh, emptying about half the quantity in. "No. Because you like it."

It wasn't long before the bathtub was full of bubbling foam, and the only thing visible of Charles was his head, who was currently enjoying a back rub from Erik.

"Sorry for splashing you with water, Erik. You kind of deserved it though and um.. thank you." Charles said, his eyes closed as Erik went over his pressure point. Erik's hands felt heavenly against his back, the way he knew exactly what he was doing. Soon enough, Charles was beginning to feel a little better but felt sleepy. The latter, Erik noticed from how Charles had laid his head back against the tub, his eyes half lidded.

"Have I ever told you you look very cute in your green flannel? It matches your eyes." Charles made a motion for his own eyes.

"I think you have, yes."

"Seriously, it hugs your chest so perfectly. You look incredible and I don't know if I ever told you but I often show off with you at work.. and bars. You're adorable, Erik, but incredibly hot as well."

Erik maybe wouldn't have known that to answer if Charles was more awake, but grateful, he smiled. "Go to sleep, Charles."

"You go to sleep." Charles shot back but he couldn't insist, because he dozed off with the last letter and Erik stared fondly at him and played with the bubbles.


End file.
